editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Christopher Joyce is a correspondent on the science desk at NPR. His stories can be heard on all of NPR's news programs, including NPR's Morning Edition , All Things Considered , and Weekend Edition . Joyce seeks out stories in some of the world's most inaccessible places. He has reported from remote villages in the Amazon and Central American rainforests, Tibetan outposts in the mountains of western China, and the bottom of an abandoned copper mine in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Over the course of his career, Joyce has written stories about volcanoes, hurricanes, human evolution, tagging giant blue-fin tuna, climate change, wars in Kosovo and Iraq and the artificial insemination of an African elephant. For several years, Joyce was an editor and correspondent for NPR's Radio Expeditions , a documentary program on natural history and disappearing cultures produced in collaboration with the National Geographic Society that was heard frequently on Morning Edition . Joyce came to NPR inNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Christopher JoyceTue, 09 Jan 2018 05:23:05 +0000Christopher Joycehttp://waer.org
Christopher JoyceBefore it got cold this winter, it was warm. Very warm. In fact, new data out Monday shows 2017 was the third warmest year recorded in the lower 48 states. And it was also a smackdown year for weather disasters: 16 weather events each broke the billion-dollar barrier. First, the heat . Last year was 2.6 degrees F warmer than the average year during the 20th century. That may be hard to remember in the thick of winter. But climate scientist Deke Arndt points out that even in a warm year, we still have frigid weather that invades from the north. "We still have very cold poles and we still have the same weather systems that pull cold air away from those poles into places where we live," he explains. Arndt is part of a team at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that assesses each year's weather and climate. They note that 2017 is the 21st year in a row in which the average annual temperature was warmer than the average over the 20th century. And the five warmest years forNew Report Shows Weather Disasters In 2017 Cost More Than $300 Billionhttp://waer.org/post/new-report-shows-weather-disasters-2017-cost-more-300-billion
73825 as http://waer.orgMon, 08 Jan 2018 21:30:00 +0000New Report Shows Weather Disasters In 2017 Cost More Than $300 BillionChristopher JoyceThe Arctic is a huge, icy cap on the planet that acts like a global air conditioner. But the air conditioner is breaking down, according to scientists who issued a grim "report card" on the Arctic on Tuesday. They say the North Pole continues to warm at an alarming pace — twice the rate as the rest of the planet, on average. This year was the Arctic's second-warmest in at least 1,500 years, after 2016. Researchers say there was less winter ice in the Arctic Ocean than ever observed. And ocean water in parts of the polar Barents and Chukchi seas was a whopping 7 degrees Fahrenheit higher than just a few decades ago. It's a trend that has some calling the state of the Arctic a "new normal." But Arctic scientist Jeremy Mathis says that term doesn't work for him. "There is no normal," he says. "That's what so strange about what's happening in the Arctic. ... The environment is changing so quickly in such a short amount of time that we can't quite get a handle on what this new state isArctic's Temperature Continues To Run Hot, Latest 'Report Card' Showshttp://waer.org/post/arctics-temperature-continues-run-hot-latest-report-card-shows
72772 as http://waer.orgTue, 12 Dec 2017 16:09:00 +0000Arctic's Temperature Continues To Run Hot, Latest 'Report Card' ShowsChristopher JoyceThe world's oceans are rising. Over the past century, they're up an average of about eight inches. But the seas are rising more in some places than others. And scientists are now finding that how much sea level rises in, say, New York City, has a lot to do with exactly where the ice is melting. A warming climate is melting a lot of glaciers and ice sheets on land. That means more water rolling down into the oceans. But the oceans are not like a bathtub. The water doesn't rise uniformly. To understand why, think of the earth as a spinning top. When huge ice sheets — some are two miles thick — start to melt, it actually affects the Earth's rotation. "What happens is when you change the mass of the ice," explains Eric Larour , who studies the frozen parts of the planet, "the modification itself makes the wobble change, and this in turn changes the shape of the ocean on the Earth." When the wobble shifts, the oceans shift as a whole, as if you were shaking a mound of Jello at theThe Sea Level Threat To Cities Depends On Where The Ice Melts — Not Just How Fasthttp://waer.org/post/sea-level-threat-cities-depends-where-ice-melts-not-just-how-fast
72022 as http://waer.orgFri, 24 Nov 2017 11:00:00 +0000The Sea Level Threat To Cities Depends On Where The Ice Melts — Not Just How FastChristopher JoyceAfter Hurricane Harvey, some Texas residents, politicians and scientists are wondering whether the whole U.S. system for predicting floods is any good. The storm's deluge flooded parts of southeast Texas that had rarely, or never, been underwater before. Some areas got more than 50 inches of rain in a few days. "When the numbers started coming in it was a little scary," says Matt Zeve, the director of operations for the Harris County Flood Control District, which includes Houston. Standing at a bridge over White Oak Bayou, one of the many streams that crisscross Houston, he points to pink hash mark about 20 feet above the stream bed. "This is how high the water got during Harvey at this location," he says. Events like these are supposed to be rare, the kind that happen only once each century, or even once every 500 years. Maps developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and states are supposed to help predict where floods are likely to occur. If you own property inside theScientists Glimpse Houston's Flooded Future In Updated Rainfall Datahttp://waer.org/post/scientists-glimpse-houstons-flooded-future-updated-rainfall-data
71862 as http://waer.orgMon, 20 Nov 2017 21:55:00 +0000Scientists Glimpse Houston's Flooded Future In Updated Rainfall DataChristopher JoyceGovernments are wrapping up a meeting in Bonn, Germany, to figure out how to implement a global climate agreement. The conference has focused on the pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which nations made two years ago in Paris. But even as negotiators debate the details, scientists are warning that carbon dioxide levels are again on the rise, and the efforts in Paris may not be enough. President Trump has vowed that the U.S. will pull out of the Paris deal. The final withdrawal will take a few years, and the government sent a small delegation to Bonn. It made one presentation on the value of clean coal that was disrupted by protesters. U.S. cities and states sent their own delegations as well. California Gov. Jerry Brown attended to talk about his state's commitment to climate change. "In the United States," he explained, "we have a federal system, and states have real power, as do cities. And when cities and states combine together and then join with powerful corporations,As Climate Negotiators Debate Nations' Pledges, Scientists Worry It's Not Enoughhttp://waer.org/post/climate-negotiators-debate-nations-pledges-scientists-worry-its-not-enough
71699 as http://waer.orgThu, 16 Nov 2017 10:07:00 +0000As Climate Negotiators Debate Nations' Pledges, Scientists Worry It's Not EnoughChristopher JoyceHurricane Harvey was the worst flood in Houston's history. Scientists and citizens are still piecing together why it was so bad, but it's becoming clear that a lot of the damage comes down to how people have built America's fourth-largest city. You can see the problem from your car. Houston is a sprawling web of strip malls and 10-lane freeways. Hydrologist Jeff East stands under one of those freeways, beneath an overpass and above the east fork of the San Jacinto River. The river is more like a trickling stream, 20 feet below. But East points to a line of seeds and debris in the grass by the highway. "Actually there's a high water mark over here," he says. Debris left at the high-water mark is like a bathtub ring around Harris County. Along with gauges in the San Jacinto River, it shows flood levels never seen before. "This is the highest that it's been since we've been gauging the site since the 1940s," East says. Disaster downstream The San Jacinto is a perfect example of what wentScientists In Houston Tell A Story Of Concrete, Rain And Destructionhttp://waer.org/post/exploring-why-hurricane-harvey-caused-houstons-worst-fooding
71418 as http://waer.orgThu, 09 Nov 2017 13:16:00 +0000Scientists In Houston Tell A Story Of Concrete, Rain And DestructionChristopher JoyceCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: Tens of thousands of Americans live in homes that flood repeatedly, and sometimes repairs wind up costing more than the value of the home. FEMA has the power to help these homeowners by buying them out so they can move somewhere else, but the agency is in debt, and the buyout process can take years. NPR's Sarah McCammon and Christopher Joyce explain. CHRISTOPHER JOYCE, BYLINE: There's something going on around the country with flooding. More and more homes are flooding more and more often. It's costing taxpayers billions of dollars, and it's not just happening in places that got hit hard by the recent hurricanes, like Texas and Florida. SARAH MCCAMMON, BYLINE: In Charleston, S.C., John Knipper bought his house not quite three years ago after he'd retired. He knew the place had flooded back in 2008, but it didn't seem like a big concern, until one day after a heavy rain storm his unit flooded. About a month later, itDebt-Laden FEMA Is Slow To Act On Program That Buys Flooded Houseshttp://waer.org/post/debt-laden-fema-slow-act-program-buys-flooded-houses
69667 as http://waer.orgWed, 27 Sep 2017 12:13:00 +0000Debt-Laden FEMA Is Slow To Act On Program That Buys Flooded HousesChristopher JoyceIn Mexico City and surrounding areas, rescuers are still searching for casualties and survivors of Tuesday's earthquake. More than 200 people are believed to have died. Geologically speaking, Mexico City is not built in a very good place. This is the second big quake in Mexico in less than two weeks. It came 32 years to the day after another deadly quake. And there will be more in the future, though when is anyone's guess. The reason is that just to the west, a huge slab of the Earth's crust called the Cocos Plate is grinding relentlessly toward North America. But it's running into an even bigger slab — the North American Plate. So the Cocos Plate is shoving itself underneath its northern neighbor. Lots of faults lie along and near the junction of these two plates, like stitches in the seam of a baseball. When the faults slip from all that continental grinding, quakes happen. This is what surrounds Mexico City. But there's another problem, as geophysicist Gavin Hayes with the U.S.Mexico City Doomed By Its Geology To More Earthquakeshttp://waer.org/post/mexico-city-doomed-its-geology-more-earthquakes
69404 as http://waer.orgWed, 20 Sep 2017 22:14:00 +0000Mexico City Doomed By Its Geology To More EarthquakesChristopher JoyceHurricane Irma is hovering somewhere between being the most- and second-most powerful hurricane recorded in the Atlantic. It follows Harvey, which dumped trillions of gallons of water on South Texas. And now, Hurricane Jose is falling into step behind Irma, and gathering strength. Is this what climate change scientists predicted? In a word, yes. Climate scientists such as Michael Mann at Penn State says, "The science is now fairly clear that climate change will make stronger storms stronger." Or wetter. Scientists are quick to point out that Harvey and Irma would have been big storms before the atmosphere and oceans started warming dramatically about 75 years ago. But now storms are apt to grow bigger. That's because the oceans and atmosphere are, on average, warmer now than they used to be. And heat is the fuel that takes garden-variety storms and supercharges them. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted that the Atlantic hurricane season this year would be big.Hurricanes Are Sweeping The Atlantic. What's The Role Of Climate Change?http://waer.org/post/hurricanes-are-sweeping-atlantic-whats-role-climate-change
68977 as http://waer.orgFri, 08 Sep 2017 11:19:00 +0000Hurricanes Are Sweeping The Atlantic. What's The Role Of Climate Change?Christopher JoycePresident Trump pledged to rebuild Houston and Texas bigger and better than ever. However, earlier this month, he rescinded an Obama executive order that required flood-damaged property to be rebuilt higher and stronger. Trump also has proposed eliminating federal flood mapping and the federal government's top disaster agency. Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: Just before President Trump flew to Texas, he promised to help the state recover. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Believe me, we will be bigger, better, stronger than ever before. The rebuilding will begin. And in the end, it will be something very special. SHAPIRO: But the president has recently made some big changes in how the government manages disasters. And as NPR's Christopher Joyce reports, those changes could make it more difficult to rebuild stronger. CHRISTOPHER JOYCE, BYLINE: Two years ago, President Obama issued an executive order designed to help communities rebuildTrump Policies Could Undermine Post-Harvey Rebuildinghttp://waer.org/post/trumps-proposed-budget-cuts-could-undermine-harvey-relief-efforts
68566 as http://waer.orgTue, 29 Aug 2017 20:32:00 +0000Trump Policies Could Undermine Post-Harvey RebuildingChristopher JoyceSea levels are rising and climate scientists blame global warming. They predict that higher seas will cause more coastal flooding through this century and beyond, even in places that have normally been high and dry. But mapping where future floods will strike has barely begun. The Federal Emergency Management Agency maps where people are at moderate or high risk of flooding. Most people with property in hazardous areas — where the annual risk of a flood is one in a hundred or more — are required by law to buy federal flood insurance from FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program. But FEMA's insurance maps are based on past patterns of flooding. Future sea level rise — which is expected to create new, bigger flood zones — is not factored in. So some communities are doing the mapping themselves. Like Annapolis, the state capital of Maryland. About 40 times a year, the Chesapeake Bay floods this port city, where Lisa Craig is chief of historic preservation. As she and I walk downtown nearMapping Coastal Flood Risk Lags Behind Sea Level Risehttp://waer.org/post/mapping-coastal-flood-risk-lags-behind-sea-level-rise
67232 as http://waer.orgThu, 27 Jul 2017 21:08:00 +0000Mapping Coastal Flood Risk Lags Behind Sea Level RiseChristopher JoyceFew inventions in modern history have been as successful as plastic. It's in vehicles and building materials and most of our electronic devices. We wrap stuff in it and even wear it. Now a research team has tallied up how much plastic has been produced and where much of it has gone. Turns out, it's literally almost everywhere. Roland Geyer, an industrial ecologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, says no one had tallied how much plastic people have manufactured since its invention. When he did it, he was shocked at what he found. "Eight point three billion metric tons of plastics produced so far. That's just really a staggering amount." He did some calculations to understand that number. "And it turned out that it can cover an area the size of Argentina," he says, "which is the eighth-largest country in the world." Ankle deep. So, is that a problem? Well, for one thing, Geyer, says, "Virtually all the plastic we ever made is non-degradable. (It) will be with us forPlastic Is Everywhere And Recycling Isn't The End Of Ithttp://waer.org/post/plastic-everywhere-and-recycling-isnt-end-it
66916 as http://waer.orgWed, 19 Jul 2017 21:30:00 +0000Plastic Is Everywhere And Recycling Isn't The End Of ItChristopher Joycehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAS3kahu76k Rule number one in nature: Find a way NOT to get eaten. You can run or fight or hide--or you can look like something that tastes horrible. It appears that a type of jumping spider takes that to the extreme — it's learned to MOVE like something nasty. Paul Shamble discovered this after watching a certain kind of jumping spider crawl around in the woods one day in New York state. Suddenly Shamble realized they were walking funny. "They really move like ants," he says, a sort of regular tacking back and forth like a sailboat rather than a straight line. Why would a spider walk like an ant? They're very different creatures. Spiders have eight legs, ants six. As an evolutionary biologist, Shamble figured it might be a form of mimicry. Many insects copy the shape or coloration of other, often poisonous, insects. It fools predators into giving them a pass. And ants definitely don't taste good; they're full of powerful chemicals, whereas jumpingIf It Walks Like An Ant, You Probably Wouldn't Eat It — Or So These Spiders Hopehttp://waer.org/post/if-it-walks-ant-you-probably-wouldnt-eat-it-or-so-these-spiders-hope
66673 as http://waer.orgThu, 13 Jul 2017 20:59:00 +0000If It Walks Like An Ant, You Probably Wouldn't Eat It — Or So These Spiders HopeChristopher JoyceCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: Climate scientists agree that the 21st century will be warmer. That warming will likely bring economic pain to the U.S., though economists aren't sure how much. Now, a research team says they can at least tell which parts of the country are likely to suffer the most. NPR's Christopher Joyce reports on their new study. CHRISTOPHER JOYCE, BYLINE: The team started with history. How have heat waves and drought affected the economy in the past? Then they applied that metric to various warming scenarios for the future, county by county. They found that if warming continues at recent rates it could shave several percentage points off the country's gross domestic product by century's end. But lead researcher Solomon Hsiang says that's not really the bottom line. SOLOMON HSIANG: I think the takeaway message that is most striking is that the effects of climate change on the U.S. are not the same everywhere. Where you are in the countryResearchers Analyze Economic Impact Of Climate Change In The U.S.http://waer.org/post/researchers-analyze-economic-impact-climate-change-us
66131 as http://waer.orgThu, 29 Jun 2017 20:31:00 +0000Researchers Analyze Economic Impact Of Climate Change In The U.S.Christopher JoyceOne of nature's most efficient life-support systems is the egg. Eggs evolved over 300 million years ago as vertebrate animals adapted to living on land. And since then, they've taken on numerous shapes, especially among birds. Biologists have long wondered why there are so many shapes, and what determines each one. Hummingbirds, for example, have eggs like Tic Tacs. Birds called murres produce eggs shaped like big teardrops. Some eggs are more like pingpong balls. Now, an international team of scientists believes it has solved the mystery of the eggs. Biologist Mary Caswell Stoddard of Princeton University led the team. She had heard the shape theories: Cone-shape eggs don't roll away, they roll in a tight circle so maybe that's good for birds that nest on cliffs. Or elliptical eggs, like slightly flattened spheres, might stack closer in nests and incubate better. Stoddard looked at nearly 50,000 eggs and cross-checked them with 1,400 bird species. "We are able to look at the egg inHow Do Eggs Get Their Shapes? Scientists Think They've Cracked Ithttp://waer.org/post/how-do-eggs-get-their-shapes-scientists-think-theyve-cracked-it
65859 as http://waer.orgThu, 22 Jun 2017 18:15:00 +0000How Do Eggs Get Their Shapes? Scientists Think They've Cracked ItChristopher JoyceA team of European and Moroccan scientists has found the fossil remains of five individuals who they believe are the most ancient modern humans (Homo sapiens) ever found. In a remote area of Morocco called Jebel Irhoud, in what was once a cave, the team found a skull, bones and teeth of five individuals who lived about 315,000 years ago. The scientists also found fairly sophisticated stone tools and charcoal, indicating the use of fire by this group. The researchers' claim is controversial, however, because anthropologists are still debating exactly what physical features distinguish modern humans from our more primitive ancestors. Archaic forms of humans — other, earlier species of Homo — emerged more than a million years ago. Exactly how and when our species — Homo sapiens — evolved is a mystery. Up to now, the oldest known bones widely recognized as Homo sapiens were from people who lived in East Africa about 200,000 years ago. The new discovery in Morocco would push the date for315,000-Year-Old Fossils From Morocco Could Be Earliest Recorded Homo Sapienshttp://waer.org/post/3150000-year-old-fossils-morocco-could-be-earliest-recorded-homo-sapiens
65234 as http://waer.orgWed, 07 Jun 2017 20:40:00 +0000315,000-Year-Old Fossils From Morocco Could Be Earliest Recorded Homo SapiensChristopher JoyceCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: President Trump has said the U.S. is now out of the Paris climate accord. In his speech in the Rose Garden yesterday, he listed off the reasons. Mainly, he said, the deal would hurt American workers. But the president also argued that the accord itself won't really make a difference on climate change. Here's President Trump. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Even if the Paris Agreement were implemented in full with total compliance from all nations, it is estimated it would only produce a two-tenths of one degree - think of that - this much - Celsius reduction in global temperature by the year 2100 - tiny, tiny amount. MARTIN: OK. We're going to take a closer look at some of the president's assertions, including what he just said. And we're going to do so with the help of NPR science correspondent Chris Joyce. Hi there. CHRISTOPHER JOYCE, BYLINE: How are you doing? MARTIN: I am well. OK, we heard theWhat Are The Ramifications Of The U.S. Leaving The Climate Accord?http://waer.org/post/what-are-ramifications-us-leaving-climate-accord
65020 as http://waer.orgFri, 02 Jun 2017 09:02:00 +0000What Are The Ramifications Of The U.S. Leaving The Climate Accord?Christopher JoyceCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit SCOTT SIMON, HOST: Throughout President Trump's overseas trip this week, he's been getting an earful about climate and how important the Paris climate agreement is. Many foreign leaders say the U.S. should not abandon it, and President Trump tweeted this morning that he will make a final decision next week. But as NPR's Christopher Joyce reports, staying in or out of that Paris deal may not make that much difference. CHRISTOPHER JOYCE, BYLINE: Pope Francis told President Trump to stick with the Paris agreement, so did France's newly elected president, Emmanuel Macron. The agreement they're so passionate about sets in motion a global effort to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases that warm the planet. Trump says it's a bad deal for the U.S. economy. Nearly 200 other nations say it's a good deal for the planet. But climate experts point out that emissions in the U.S. are already going down without the Paris deal. KATE LARSEN: The U.S. hasMarket Forces May Impact Emissions More Than Climate Agreementshttp://waer.org/post/market-forces-may-impact-emissions-more-climate-agreements
64807 as http://waer.orgSat, 27 May 2017 11:59:00 +0000Market Forces May Impact Emissions More Than Climate AgreementsChristopher JoyceFor 51 years, a small federal program has been paying scientists to keep American waterways healthy. It's called Sea Grant — part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — and President Donald Trump"s proposed budget for next year would eliminate it. Sea Grant funds support more than 800 projects around the country. To find out what would be lost if it's defunded, let's start in a yard next to the Severn River in Maryland. It's my yard. There's a white tube sticking up from the ground. The ubiquitous icon of suburbia — the septic tank — lies underneath. A lot of septic tanks break down, often invisibly, and what's inside pollutes waterways. Even properly functioning tanks leak a little. When they do, some of the sewage inside seeps invisibly downhill to, in my case, the Severn River. Once pollutants are in the river, it's really hard to tell where they came from. Is it from fertilizer? Livestock waste? From burning coal or gasoline? Sewage treatment plants? Or from theTrump's Budget Would Eliminate A Key Funder Of Research On Coastal Pollutionhttp://waer.org/post/trumps-budget-would-eliminate-key-funder-research-coastal-pollution
63961 as http://waer.orgMon, 08 May 2017 18:30:00 +0000Trump's Budget Would Eliminate A Key Funder Of Research On Coastal PollutionChristopher JoyceThere are thousands of parks, refuges and wilderness areas in the U.S. that are kept in something close to their natural state. But one form of pollution isn't respecting those boundaries: man-made noise. New research based on recordings from 492 protected natural areas reveals that they're awash in noise pollution. Researchers from Colorado State University spent years making the recordings by setting out microphones in natural areas across the country. They caught all sorts of wildlife sounds, such as rutting elk and howling wolves. But they were also after "background" sound — wind, rain, birdsong, flowing streams and rivers, even bubbling mudpots in Yellowstone National Park. They compared the decibel level of this natural background with the intrusive noisiness from human activity. And they have discovered that in two-thirds of the places they studied, the median decibel level of man-made sound was double the normal background sound. These were sounds that came from within theAmerica's Protected Natural Areas Are Polluted, By Noisehttp://waer.org/post/americas-protected-natural-areas-are-polluted-noise
63814 as http://waer.orgThu, 04 May 2017 18:32:00 +0000America's Protected Natural Areas Are Polluted, By Noise